Plans are already underway for renovating a recycling center in Arkansas County's southern district. The news, announced Tuesday at Arkansas County Quorum Court, comes during the Arkansas County Recycling Month.

“We will be using $5,000 out of (the Arkansas County recycling account) to go toward the renovations of the Carol Lester Memorial Recycling Center in DeWitt along with a $5,100 recycling grant and $5,000 e-waste grant,” Recycling Coordinator Ruby Allen said.

Allen said the funds “should get this building in working order.” The work includes stopping leaks, leveling part of the floor, putting in new garage doors and other necessary repairs.

Bids are already being accepted. DeWitt Mayor Ralph Relyea said work would start once the city receives the funding. The renovation will be competed in three phases and is expected to take most of the summer.

The City of DeWitt-owned recycling center opened its doors on Dec. 17, 2012, and the community's response has been called “fantastic.”

“We started off dumping every three weeks and now we're getting a load every 10 days,” Relyea said. “It's surprising how much stuff is being recycled.”

The center, staffed by volunteers, accepts “mostly anything” including paper, plastic, glass and metal cans. The building is split in two parts to accept recycling and e-waste material. Relyea said the renovation, once completed, would allow the city to better collect its e-waste, thus allowing for more mass e-waste events to be held.

Allen said, so far, a “very successful” mass e-waste event has been held in both DeWitt and Stuttgart.

“We shouldn't have to do as many mass e-waste events anymore since the hub in Jefferson County is expected to open sometime this fall,” she added. “Jefferson County will be doing some roof repairs and other needed work in the next few months in order to get the building ready to receive e-waste from five counties in our solid waste district.”

Once open, the county would haul its e-waste to the Jefferson County hub. It presently reimburses DeWitt and Stuttgart $2.50 per mile to haul all recyclable material collected in Arkansas County to the recycling companies in Helena and Little Rock respectively.

The Carol Lester Memorial Recycling Center, 203 Cross St., is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Elsewhere in the county, recycling centers are located at the DeWitt Transfer Station, 58 O.E. Fisher Lane from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday; the Stuttgart Transfer Station, 1356 E. 2nd St., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; and the Stuttgart Municipal Airport Landfill, just north of Stuttgart at 1103 Air Base Road, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.